


The Sun Still Sets the Same

by aj_linguistik



Category: Sword Art Online (Anime & Manga), ソードアート・オンライン - 川原礫 | Sword Art Online - Kawahara Reki
Genre: Alcohol, Alternate Universe, Bisexual Asuna, Bisexual Kirito, Drunkenness, F/F, GGO AU, Getting Back Together, Gun Violence, I Do Not Bury My Gays, Trans Female Character, Trans Female Kirito
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-03
Updated: 2021-02-09
Packaged: 2021-02-27 09:27:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,741
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22104790
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aj_linguistik/pseuds/aj_linguistik
Summary: It's been a few years, and she's moved on. She's trying to live her life like normal. Kikuoka assigns Kiriko a mission with hand-for-hire sniper Sinon to take out a man calling himself Death Gun who is murdering strong people with little association to one another. But a chance encounter with her old ex-girlfriend has her distracted.Seeing no clear way to get Kiriko's head out of the clouds, Sinon offers up herself as a wing-woman to try and get the two back together. The only problem? Kiriko is worse at this than she thought!
Relationships: Kirigaya Kazuto | Kirito/Yuuki Asuna | Asuna
Comments: 38
Kudos: 61





	1. The Challenge

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: I made a note on my fic No Cheat Codes Available that I wanted to do a more serious fic where Kirito was a trans woman. NCCA is very fluffy and sweet, but my usual fic-writing preference has higher stakes. This idea popped in my head because I want to hit every game they play and make the game their real world in at least one fic. I have Underworld with Vector's Lost Child and Aincrad in Crossing Boundaries, so here we have the world of GGO- truthfully my least favorite world, but hear me out. I'll post more comments at the bottom on inspiration. Let me know how I'm doing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: 24-3-2019; made some cleanup edits.

My boots scuffed against pavement after hours of being out in the desert. The sound was a welcome one, reminding me that I’d hit the city limits of SBC Glocken and wasn’t stranded out in a tent for the night with my partner. I let out an exaggerated sigh as I came to a stop and started shaking some of the sand off of my clothing. With an irritated frown, my partner glared at me and punched me in the shoulder. I frowned back at her.

“Do you have to do that right here?” she asked.

I merely huffed. She rolled her eyes and strolled ahead of me. I adjusted my coat and marched after her. We were only partners because we’d agreed to work together to investigate a sketchy individual. I came from a government faction and was funded for my efforts directly from the Ministry of Defense. She, on the other hand, was something of a freelancer. She was a hand for hire who took her missions very seriously and came at quite a high price.

She threw open the door to a restaurant and handled all of the social activity to get us a table. We sat down in a booth near a window. She kept her eyes focused on the people walking around outside. A waiter came up and asked for our orders. I ordered a full meal; she just ordered a small coffee. I think the struggle with our mission was curbing her appetite. After a few minutes of continued silence, the waiter returned with our drinks. I thanked him and took a sip. The carbonation felt pleasing against my tongue. I sighed. Across from me, she gripped her coffee tightly.

“That damned elusive snake,” she hissed, finally breaking the silence.

I blinked over at her. My partner was a year younger than me with short mint-blue colored hair and deep blue eyes. Her attire was an olive drab and white outfit that I couldn’t quite identify the style of. She had her trusty sniper rifle, the Hecate II, strapped on her back still, as if setting it down for a moment to enjoy her coffee was a horrid idea. I didn’t think anyone would try to steal it from her, considering her reputation and prowess with a gun, but there was always the chance that _that_ girl would come waltzing through again.

“He knows we’re onto his trail,” she said, finally lifting her cup.

She took a sip of her coffee and grimaced.

“Bad flavor?” I asked.

She shook her head, her pigtails bobbing next to her jawline. I’d been in this restaurant a few times—their coffee wasn’t exactly the good stuff, which is why I’d steered clear of it in favor of a soda. What she was sipping now was likely something akin to spaceship fuel, if you asked me. But she wasn’t the sort of person to be off-put by bad coffee. She had a spine, at least when she showed her face in public. I suspected she had a soft layer somewhere underneath all of that hardened exterior, but I wasn’t going to pry. She tapped her fingers on the cup before giving me a look.

I knew the look. I’d spoken and said something that was clearly a means of jabbing at her for fun. But she was in a serious mood. She did not want to be jabbed at or messed with. All I could do in response was smirk. There was no escaping this behavior—it was hardwired into me so intricately that it would drive any romantic partner crazy. Thank goodness for her; I had no interest in flirting with her at all.

“He’s putting bullets in people’s heads, Kiriko,” she said. “This isn’t the time to be smirking like an idiot. What are you, five?”

I smiled and laughed.

“In case you hadn’t noticed, a lot of people get shot up around here,” I said. “Just because one looney’s doing it with an agenda doesn’t mean that people don’t take bullets for some reason or another daily.”

Her eyes narrowed at me. I was both right and wrong, and I knew that. In a world where everyone was likely armed to some degree, you could never be sure when someone was going to pull one on you. It was a horrible system. ‘We need our guns for protection!’ the people had said. And the government couldn’t argue it—or so they claimed. You had anyone from trained professionals like her to teenagers who just wanted to fuck around and shoot innocent animals carrying guns anymore. That was the world we lived in.

But it wasn’t as loose and free as that. Most of the people that had guns that shouldn’t have had them gained them illegally. I say most, since there were definitely cases where people passed their licensing process and shouldn’t have. That was the guy we were hunting now, after all. A man who’d been trusted with a gun legally and was now wandering around shooting people in the head after sending up some kind of religious motion to the god he was doing it for.

“Hey, Sinon,” I said. “Do you think we’re going about this the wrong way?”

She sucked her teeth at me.

“Following strong people will eventually have him turn up,” she said. “That’s how guys like this work. They take out people that are strong simply because they can.”

I hummed and lifted my glass to my mouth, taking another sip of the soda. I swirled the bubbles around over my tongue for a moment, trying to delay responding. She was very stubborn about getting her way in this mission. That, and my idea would be a lot more dangerous than just staking out around tough guys like a couple of creeps. Her way was the old-fashioned stakeout sort of way. Mine was risking being on the receiving end of the gunfire, but I thought it’d be a much quicker way of doing things.

“All I’m going to say,” I said, “is that you would make excellent bait for this guy.”

She slammed her coffee cup down and glared at me.

“I already told you, we aren’t doing that!” she hissed. “Pick another strong person to use as bait! Or do you think it’s funny that I’d be under direct gunfire from this man?”

I shook my head. Some of my hair fell over my shoulder. I reached up and brushed it back.

“I told you I’d protect you if we went with my plan, didn’t I?” I said.

Sinon gave me a skeptical look and said nothing.

“You don’t trust me, do you?” I asked, my lips curling up in amusement.

Her eyes narrowed.

“You’re a very odd individual, Kiriko,” she said, huffing. “When you first proposed that plan, you told me you could cut a bullet in half with a sword. That’s bullshit. If you think I’m going to let you run in and try to deflect bullets with a photon sword, of all things, there’s no way I’m going to trust you with my life.”

I swirled my drink around its up a few times, listening to the ice cubes clinking against each other. The door to the restaurant swung open, distracting me from the conversation. Several people entered at once. I immediately recognized one woman in a tight black suit—she was the one that had practically begged Sinon for her Hecate the other day. She was laughing obnoxiously and swinging her head between a few other people so fast that her ponytail almost smacked one of the people in her party. She was accompanied by someone very short in pink, of all colors, and a girl in red and white whose face was obscured from view.

Frowning, I stared at the girl’s back. She seemed familiar. It was definitely her hair color. A chestnut that was lit up in the golden sunset seeping through the slowly closing front door. I internally willed her to turn so I could catch a glimpse of her face. The girl in black patted her arm and waved at the restaurant floor. She turned her head just enough for me to catch a peek at her side profile. My heart fluttered in my chest. It was her, after all.

“Kiriko. Ki-ri-ko. Are you even listening to me?”

Jumping, I turned back around to look at Sinon. Her frown got considerably deeper.

“What are you even staring at with your face all red like that?” she asked.

She turned her head to look at the group. I reached up and touched my cheek. Was I blushing? How embarrassing. Sinon’s expression softened a little bit. She looked at me again and raised an eyebrow. I swallowed. That was a face I wasn’t familiar with from these few days of interacting with her.

“Do you have a crush on Pitohui?” she asked.

I almost choked on air.

“What? No! Not her!” I exclaimed.

Sinon’s eyes flitted back over to the group.

“The short one?” she asked.

I shook my head.

“No!” I said.

Her eyebrows lifted a little.

“Ah, so the girl in white and red,” she said. “Do you want to go and ask for her number? I can be patient if that’s what you’re wanting to do. It’ll hopefully help you get back on track with this discussion.”

My heart raced. I already had her number, actually. Sinon wouldn’t have known that—we weren’t friends, just two people assigned to the same mission. But this was an excuse to go over and talk to her. I wondered if she’d recognize me. I numbly thanked Sinon and said I’d be right back. I slipped out of the booth and walked over to the group. I reached a hand out to grab her by the shoulder, but I retracted it, thinking better of my actions. I cleared my throat. All three of them turned around to face me.

“Um, hi,” I said. “Long time no see, Asuna.”

She blinked at me, seeming confused. I didn’t blame her. I looked drastically different from the last time we’d spoken to each other. A part of me was glad; I’d achieved what I was trying to. But the other half of me felt a bit sad that she didn’t recognize me by my eyes or face structure. My shoulders drooped a little awkwardly.

“I’m sorry, who are you again?” Asuna asked. “You don’t strike me as familiar.”

I glanced at Pitohui and the girl in pink, unsure of if I wanted to out myself right here and now. But I couldn’t stand the awkwardness of her not being familiar with me when I knew so much about her. It made my skin crawl. I let out an awkward laugh and put a hand to my breastplate, wondering how she’d react.

“Asuna, it’s me,” I said. “Kirigaya.”

Her eyes widened. She looked me up and down as if she didn’t believe me for a moment, but then she covered her mouth. I wondered if she might be mad. But the next thing I knew, she was throwing her arms around my neck, greeting me cordially.

“I knew it!” she said. “I knew you looked familiar!”

She pulled away from me and grasped my hands.

“I was so worried about you,” she said. “You were so depressed and out of it last time we spoke. But look at you! You look so good! Are you going by a different name now?”

I nodded.

“Kiriko,” I said. “I go by Kiriko now.”

Asuna smiled warmly at me.

“I’m very happy for you, Kiriko,” she said.

“Thanks,” I said.

I couldn’t get very much out of my mouth just looking at her. She was as beautiful as the day we’d last met. It would be a lie to say that I had stopped thinking about her. I’d thought of her every day since. Her face remained ever-present in the back of my mind. My soul burned. I wanted to ask her to give me a second chance. But my mouth froze. The words stuck in the back of my throat. She let go of my hands.

“I’m going to have an important meeting with these two ladies here,” she said. “But my number hasn’t changed. Maybe later we can catch up over lunch?”

All I could do was give her a dumb smile in response.

“Y-yeah,” I said. “I’d like that.”

She nodded.

“Great!” she said. “Let me know when some good times for you are and where you’d like to meet.”  
I swallowed.

“No problem,” I said.

She waved at me and walked off with the other two.

“See you around!”

I waved back, saying nothing. Watching her walk away like this made me feel something deep in my soul. I longed for her to return. But she was already several paces away. I drew in a deep breath and slowly made my way back over to Sinon. When I sat back down, she was looking at me with this curious expression on her face.

“I didn’t see you writing any digits down,” she said.

Rolling my eyes, I took a sip of my drink before answering.

“I already have her number,” I grumbled.

Sinon raised her eyes, clearly wanting more details. I sighed.

“She’s my ex,” I said.

It didn’t seem to be information she was expecting. Maybe she’d thought Asuna was someone else who worked in the Ministry of Defense. Maybe an old friend or someone I lived near. Sinon sat back in her seat and gazed over at Asuna’s little party of three. My food had arrived while I was up, so I stuck my fork into the dish and stuffed some of it into my mouth.

“Why did you break up?” she asked. “You’re clearly taken with her.”

I gave her a severe look.

“None of your business,” I said. “But she hasn’t seen me since…since I came out.”

Sinon frowned.

“She dated you before you came out as a lesbian?” she asked. “Bold.”

I shook my head. Sinon hummed and took a sip.

“I’m bisexual, first of all,” I said, waving a finger at her. “And secondly, we dated before she knew I was a woman.”

Coffee sprayed out of Sinon’s mouth and onto the table in front of her. I was lucky enough that she’d angled her face downwards so as not to spit-take all over my lunch. I didn’t know what was so shocking about that. People always had weird reactions to hearing I was trans. I wondered would I have to deal with that for the rest of my life. Sinon wiped her mouth off and cleared her throat.

“You…” she said.

Frowning, I rested my cheek in my hand.

“Yes, I’m transgender,” I said. “Don’t act like it’s something you need to spit-take over. But I was Asuna’s boyfriend, to make it simpler for you. I’m actually kind of pleased. She didn’t recognize me by my voice. HRT is some amazing stuff.”

I sighed.

“Things were really complicated back then,” I said. “And we split up. No hard feelings, I don’t think. But it was really hurting her. Now that I’ve transitioned, and it’s been a few years…I want to have the chance to try again. But I don’t know that I have a shot at winning her heart again. It was a lucky break the first time.”

Sinon set her cup down and leaned forward on the table.

“You can’t just give up like that!” she said. “Did you tell her you want to see her again?”  
I nodded.

“Yeah, we might go get lunch sometime soon,” I said. “What’s it to you?”  
She looked offended.

“Nothing! It’s nothing to me at all!” she said. “It’s just…the way you looked at her before you went over there.”

I frowned.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

She sighed and tapped the table with her finger.

“It was the first time I think I’ve seen you really smile about something,” she said. “And listening to you talk now, it just seems sad that if someone makes you that happy, you’d still give up because it didn’t work out the last time. Things are different now. You’re in a better place and maybe she is, too. That’s ridiculous, though.”

I huffed.

“What makes you think it’s so easy?” I said.

She smirked.

“Let’s make it a challenge then, shall we?” she said. “If I can help you get back together with her, then you can use me as bait for the target.”

I snickered.

“Sounds like you get nothing out of either scenario,” I said.

“Are you saying you don’t accept?” she asked, extending her hand to me.

I contemplated it for a moment, but then I reached over and grasped her hand.

“Alright,” I said. “Let’s see what you’ve got.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: This idea was born from "Sinon would be a funny wing-man." I stewed and stewed over how to make a likeable writing experience for me with my least favorite game world in SAO and thought about what I did love from the Phantom Bullet arc. The first thing was Kirito's design. I know it's controversial, but I love the flowy feel of Kirito's GGO avatar and I honestly hate that it gets used as an excuse to disrespect trans women so often in this fandom. The second thing was the sibling-like chemistry between Kirito and Sinon. Their banter with each other is perhaps my favorite non-romantic relationship in SAO. So, I hope this GGO-turned-adventure-chickflick is enjoyable. For me as well as for you!


	2. Girls On and Off the Field

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Life's been crazy please have some Kiriko and Sinon.

It was hitting the peak of the day. Heat was at its worst in the desert. I reached down to my belt and removed a water canteen to take a drink. I stared down at the encampment we were watching and grumbled. We were far enough away that I figured I didn’t need a breastplate. I sat up just enough to slip my hands around the buckles and pop it off. It hit the ground beneath me and Sinon snapped her head in my direction.

“What the hell are you doing?” she asked.

I frowned.

“It’s hot and my boobs are sweaty,” I complained.

She squinted at me.

“Are your boobs even real?” she jabbed.

I pressed one hand to my chest and furrowed my eyebrows at her.

“Of course, they’re real!” I shot back. “Don’t ask people stuff like that! Are _your_ boobs real?”

She rolled her eyes and resumed looking through her scope. I shifted my shirt. It was sticking to my body in an uncomfortable way. I kept my eye on the group of men talking down at the edge of the camp. From this distance, we couldn’t hear them talking naturally, so I slipped a device in my ear that increased hearing distance. I switched it on and waited.

“So, what are they talking about?” she asked.

I grimaced.

“Death Gun.”

Sinon grimaced, too.

That was the codename of the man we were hunting. Our mission was to bring him in to my superiors—dead or alive. He’d been going around and killing off strong individuals for the past month, announcing himself with this name. His real name was still a mystery to us. Our presumption at the moment was that there was a method to his killings. It wasn’t just strong people that he was targeting—it was specific strong people. Most of them weren’t government officials, but guns-for-hire like Sinon.

“Do you think they’re affiliated with him or just making idle chatter?” she asked.

I was quiet for a moment, listening to their conversation. They were discussing the most recent death, that of a man known as XeXeeD. It was the first death in the region including SBC Glocken. It had been an urban legend until it hit the streets of the capital city. I should have been more focused on gathering details, but my brain was having difficulty focusing after seeing Asuna for the first time in years.

When I didn’t respond, Sinon reached over and jabbed her elbow into my side. I frowned at her.

“Idle chatter,” I said. “Is there someone in this encampment that would be a possible target for him?”

Sinon nodded.

“A man called Usujio Tarako,” she said. “Weapon of choice: an Enfield light machine gun. He runs one of the biggest squadrons this side of SBC Glocken. If I was this Death Gun person, I’d want to target him.”

I crinkled my nose.

“What kind of a name is that? Soy sauce? Cod roe?”

Sinon rolled her eyes.

“It’s a bit more creative than Sinon or Kiriko,” she said. “But we’re not about setting up a fancy name for ourselves like Usujio is.”

She had a point. She stood up and slung her Hecate II across her back, giving me a curt nod. I wondered why we were packing up so soon, but something told me she was just here for intel today. Snatching up my breastplate, I hopped back up and slipped back down out of the rocks with her. We were about two kilometers out from the main city center of SBC Glocken. Sinon was silent the entire way back.

It was about a hundred meters from the hotel we were occupying when she finally spoke up again. Her first words after leaving our stakeout point for the day surprised me.

“So, did you text your ex?” she asked.

I jumped at the comment.

“I…well…yes,” I stammered. “I texted her.”

Once again, she surprised me with a genuine smile that didn’t come out while we were working. I was curious which was the real Sinon—the hard, cold gun for hire or the gentle, friendly girl who was eager to help me in my romantic life for reasons I still didn’t get. I hoped it was the latter. That meant I’d have the chance to be her friend after this mission was over.

“I’m going to meet up with her tomorrow night for dinner,” I said. “I think I’m going to head out to find something decent to wear that isn’t what I’m wearing right now.”

Sinon nodded.

“Great!” she said. “I’ll tag along.”

I gave her a funny look.

“Seriously?” I asked.

She nodded her head again.

“I told you the other day,” she said. “I’m going to try and help you win this girl back so you can focus. Besides, from the way you’re talking, you don’t have any girl friends to go out shopping with. You need a second opinion on outfit options. Ah, but before we head out to shop, you should switch into a regular bra.”

Frowning, I crossed my arms over my chest.

“What are you talking about?” I asked.

Sinon stopped in her tracks.

“Aren’t you wearing a sports bra?” she asked.

“Well, yes,” I said.

She sighed.

“Then you need to put on a wired bra if you want to try nice dresses or blouses on,” she said. “What is that face you’re making?”

I covered my mouth with one hand and averted my gaze.

“You don’t own a wired bra, do you?” she groaned. “I swear, Kiriko, you are the most incompetent of people sometimes.”

She grasped the collar of my jacket and started to drag me into the hotel. After putting all of our work weapons away (and only keeping small guns on hand in case of an emergency), she dragged me out to a store again, choosing to bring me into a bra store first instead of just looking for something nice to wear. She had me get measured. The lady told me I was a 34B. I stopped in front of a mirror and stuck my chest out a little bit.

“What are you doing?” Sinon asked.

I felt heat in my cheeks. I curled up on myself and started twiddling with a bit of my hair that had fallen down in front of my chest.

“S-sorry,” I stammered. “I just. Last time I measured I was still an A-cup.”

Sinon’s expression relaxed.

“Ah, carry on, then,” she said. “But we still haven’t eaten dinner. We should get our shopping done as quickly as we can so we can sit down and enjoy a good meal. You can admire your boobs back in the hotel room if you need more time.”

I puffed up my cheeks, but I followed after her nonetheless. She showed me different types of bras that would be versatile for varied dress styles. I had to try on a few to see which I liked best, and, after making a reasonable selection, purchased one that would work with different colors as well. She’d insisted I not buy a black bra alone, so it was a matter of getting me to pick one that also wasn’t dark.

Following bra shopping, we hit up a local mall to peruse the outfits. She said that I was a bit too picky about my outfit options, since all of the dresses I liked were black. I told her it was a part of my personal aesthetic. She asked how I ever managed to get a date with Asuna in the first place, to which I reminded her that that was none of her business. I tried them on and would come out and show them to her, giving her the chance to comment on each one.

I slipped on the last one, thinking I might stick with one of the first three options. But when I turned and looked at myself in the mirror, I smiled and did a small twirl. It looked quite nice. It was sleeveless with a strap that slipped around the neck, hung down to about the mid-thigh, and wasn’t as form-fitting as some of the others. I stepped out of the dressing room and posed awkwardly for Sinon.

“What do you think?” I asked.

She hummed, then smiled.

“I think that one looks pretty good on you,” she said. “What are you thinking?”

Tilting my head, I opened my mouth to respond but saw someone walk up behind Sinon, form a cross motion over his chest, and reach into his cloak. The gesture was all-too familiar in our profession. I leapt forward and knocked Sinon to the ground as he whipped out his gun and fired a shot in our direction. I apologized quickly and then rolled off of her to reach for my revolver sitting with my clothes in the dressing room. I pressed my back against the wall and glanced over at Sinon. She nodded slightly in his direction.

“I’M WITH THE MINISTRY OF DEFENSE,” I shouted. “LAY DOWN YOUR WEAPON.”

I jumped out from behind the dressing room wall and pressed my finger into the trigger, not anticipating my target to comply. At the same time, a bullet whizzed past my cheek, grazing it. My shot landed in the guy’s shoulder. He staggered back and fell behind a clothing rack. I hurried over to get a cleaner shot at him, but the space where he’d fallen was empty. I stared down at it, confused.

“Where the hell did he go?” I muttered.

Sinon jumped to her feet and hurried over to me.

“He can’t just be gone like that!” she exclaimed.

I shook my head.

“No, but I don’t see him anywere,” I said. “I’m glad you saw him, too. Otherwise, I thought I’d sound crazy in a moment.”

She frowned.

“Did you get a good look at him?” she asked.

I touched my hand to my bleeding cheek.

“Well, he was wearing a weird mask,” I said. “Kinda like a metal skull. But what stood out was that he made that cross sign before taking a shot.”

Sinon’s eyes widened.

“You don’t mean—”

I nodded.

“I do,” I said.

I locked eyes with her.

“I think we might have our first sighting of Death Gun.”


	3. Shinkawa

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: See end notes for some TW. This chapter was half an excuse to put Kiriko in something cute and half an excuse to introduce Kyouji into the plot. My b.

Wearing casual clothing around Sinon felt a bit odd, but it was necessary for us to talk to who we needed to talk to. It was a public area where we’d be dropping our codenames and for once using our real names. She insisted the person in question might have some of the finer details on Death Gun, saying he had seen one of the killings, supposedly—the first one, in a bar. In fact, in the very bar we were headed to.

Our attire was dressy but casual. Sinon opted for an open blazer-like black jacket, white skinny jeans, and a white shirt. She had a necklace on that had a lotus flower charm on it. For me, it was black skinny jeans, a not-so-offensive purple shirt, and a black leather half-jacket. Sinon went for black flats while I opted for open-toed black heels. As we stood in the elevator, headed up to the bar, Sinon looked down and smirked.

“I didn’t take you for the type to wear nail polish,” she said.

I frowned and crossed my arms.

“What’s _that_ supposed to mean?” I huffed.

She just smiled.

“You did a good job,” she said. “Anyways, you had better behave yourself in here. I suspect you’re a messy drunk, so please mind your water and food intake.”

I laughed and placed one hand on my hip.

“Yes, of course, mom,” I teased.

The elevator made a “ding” sound and then the doors slid open, revealing the interior of the bar. Sinon nodded for me to follow behind her. A couple of men leaned over when we walked in, raising their eyebrows at us. I sucked on my teeth and kept walking. If they tried to make a move, I’d just break their wrists. Sinon took me to a booth in the back corner, which was occupied by a single man. He hopped up out of the booth and greeted Sinon with a kiss on the cheek. I stopped in my tracks and made a weird guttural sound.

“Oh, Kaz, this is Shinkawa Kyouji,” Sinon said, turning to me and gesturing to the man she’d just greeted with a kiss. “Kyouji, Kirigaya Kazue, but you can probably just call her Kaz for sort.”

Shinkawa gave me a polite bow, so I awkwardly did the same back. He likely had no idea, but I knew him from running into him a few times in high school. A part of me felt a little insulted if he didn’t recognize me, but the half that reminded me that could lead to misgendering was grateful if he just went with it.

“Your last name does sound familiar,” he said, as we all sat down. “A boy I knew in high school had the same last name, I think. I wonder what happened to him.”

Well, there went that. I awkwardly looked away and chuckled.

“I wonder…” I said.

Sinon gave me a funny look. I averted my eyes again, this time focusing on the server who had come to ask us what we wanted to drink. We ordered our drinks, some water, and some food to snack on. While we waited, Sinon showed Kyouji the files we’d gathered so far, then described what had happened at the store earlier. He suddenly got a worried look in his eyes. He placed his hand on top of one of Sinon’s and frowned at her.

“Does this mean you’re one of Death Gun’s targets?” he asked.

The server sat down some food and our drinks. Slightly bugged by the blatant hint of affection in front of me, I picked up my drink and took a decent swig of it. I should have wet my throat with some water first, but I wasn’t too worried about feeling that slight burn of alcohol. The pair effectively ignored the glare I was giving them.

“I don’t know about that, Kyouji, they shot at Kaz first,” she said, waving in my direction.

I cleared my throat, finally drawing their eyes.

“Yeah, but, Shino,” I said, “why would they want me?”

She gave me a pointed glare.

“You can deflect bullets with a photon sword, supposedly,” she said. “I’d say that makes you just as likely of a target as myself.”

Kyouji’s mouth fell open into a little ‘o’ as he put the dots together.

“You’re from the Ministry of Defense,” he said, waving a finger in my direction. “Codename: Kiriko. But your name is a recent change from—”

I gave him a pointed glare and snatched up a stick of celery.

“Deadname me, and I’ll throw this at you,” I warned.

It wasn’t much of a threat, but he shut his mouth. His brow then knit together, likely realizing he’d mentioned me earlier without realizing it. Luckily for me, I think he understood how rude it would be to comment on the fact that I now had a pair of boobs. He immediately went back to worrying about Sinon. I resumed my grumpy expression as I chewed on the celery stick.

“Are you sure you want to keep doing this mission?” he asked. “If you’re a target, then it’s pretty dangerous. This guy doesn’t miss if he’s uninterrupted.”

He must have had to add in that last part after hearing about our encounter.

“Shino says you saw him kill someone,” I said, leaning forward. “Which death was it? The one in this bar, right?”

Kyouji nodded. There was a funny look on his face—one that spelled out he knew something that he wasn’t sure he wanted to divulge. I normally would have wanted to pry at that, but with the way Sinon was acting towards him, I thought better than to grill the guy who appeared to be her boyfriend in front of her without giving any reasoning. I just fixed my gaze on him while he thought. I picked up my glass and took another large swig of my drink. Sinon must have noticed, though, because she tapped on the table.

“What, is he your type, or something?” she asked.

I choked on my second drag and spat a good bit of it out. Kyouji gave Sinon a firm look.

“I—no! What! No!” I spluttered. “The last guy I dated was blond! Pretty green eyes…I—no! No, I don’t want your boyfriend!”

She laughed, knowing she was well off the mark when I had my eyes presently dead set on Asuna. Kyouji cleared his throat.

“The killing here in the bar did resemble what you mentioned from earlier, with the hand crossing over the chest like a hail Mary,” he said, trying to ignore Sinon’s tease. “The only thing different is the location and the fact that the person he shot wasn’t in the same room.”

Sinon and I glanced at one another and then leaned over.

“What do you mean by that?” she asked.

Kyouji’s brow furrowed.

“He shot the television screen up there,” he said, pointing up at a screen that looked practically brand new. “XeXeed was on the screen talking to someone in a news clip when he dropped dead after the gun was fired at it.”

I sat back in the seat and wondered if one glass of alcohol was enough, but I reached for the second when the server sat it down. If what he was saying was true, then something was up other than just shooting at people. Something weird was going on. He’d tried to take a shot at myself and Sinon in the store. There was no screen around for him to shoot at, so he wasn’t pulling the same kind of stunt. Or was it because I’d caught a visual of him that he’d changed targets?

“Was there a screen above me in the store?” I mumbled.

Sinon hummed, and then she nodded.

“There was,” she said. “There was a television behind you. From the angle we were at, it might have looked like he was shooting at one of us, but it might have been the news screen right above your head.”

I groaned and leaned my head back against the seat. This had just gotten a lot more complicated. I knocked back another big swig of my drink.

“Easy, Kaz,” Sinon warned me.

I waved a hand at her.

“I’m fine,” I grumbled. “Just trying to think.”

She snorted.

“You’re not going to be doing much thinking if you’re drunk,” she said.

I narrowed my eyes.

“It’s only my second glass,” I told her. “I’ll be fine.”

It was one of those famous-last-words situations. The more I thought about the puzzling predicament and the curious look on Kyouji’s face, the more I dumped alcohol down my throat. I made sure to eat a bit, too, and drink water every so often. I still managed to drink way more than I should have. I glared at Kyouji and Sinon, enjoying the rest of their evening without worrying about the Death Gun incident, feeling a bit like a dizzy third wheel. I figured I’d finally had enough of just sitting there and hopped to my feet quickly. Having forgotten exactly how much alcohol I’d swallowed, I stumbled a few awkward steps in Sinon’s direction.

“Whoa, easy there,” she said, standing up to catch me.

I let her hold me up there, certain I probably couldn’t hold myself up.

“How much did she drink?” Sinon mumbled.

There was a pause.

“I wasn’t paying attention,” Kyouji said. “But I think about six or seven beers.”

I heard Sinon groan and then apologize for my behavior. I tried to pick myself up out of her grasp, only to stumble over and fall onto Kyouji, who was now somehow on my righthand side. I frowned up at him, awkwardly clinging to his front. The experience didn’t seem all that pleasant for him, either. He frowned at me.

“Kirigaya, I think you should sit down,” he said.

He grasped me by the shoulders and pushed me out of his chest to stand me upright. I just stared at him for a moment. My eyes flitted to the left, and suddenly the room was spinning again. I fell back onto him, my face falling directly against his sternum.

“Kirigaya!” he exclaimed.

“A-Afuna?” I mumbled.

I heard Sinon swear under her breath.

“Would you look at that, our drunk idiot found her crush,” she grumbled.

Although it was more like Asuna had found us. She’d walked up as soon as she recognized Sinon and myself. I looked up and saw her blinking down at me. Sinon sighed, knowing she had to do the damage control on this one. She yanked me up off of Kyouji and pushed me in front of Asuna. I drunkenly waved my hand at her.

“H-hi,” I stammered. “You look cute today.”

Asuna giggled a little.

“Had a bit much to drink, Kiriko?” she asked, giving me a funny look. “You always were a bit of a lightweight.”

I nodded a little.

“Mm…yeah…” I said. “You’re really cute…”

She giggled again. I took a wobbly step forward and placed a hand on her shoulder. Asuna tensed up a little. Her cheeks flushed a bit red.

“I think you should sober up a bit, okay?” she said.

I pulled my hand back, a little disappointed at being rejected because of my drunkenness.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, alright?” she said.

I just nodded. She smiled, waved, and then walked past us. Sinon and Kyouji both let out a sigh of relief.

“I hate to ask you this, but could you help me get her back to our hotel room?” she asked. “It’s just down the block.”

I didn’t hear the response, but, based on the fact that Sinon took one side and Kyouji took the other, I presume that was a yes. He helped her get me all the way down to the hotel before I was carefully tossed onto the bed. He took his leave at some point I don’t recall. Sinon probably was the one that took my clothes off and tucked me in. I don’t quite remember. I just remember waking up with one hell of a headache, bad nausea, and one looming image in my head—

The suspicious look on Kyouji’s face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: TW for alcohol, drunkenness.


	4. Interesting Intel

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Gonna just add a content warning at the bottom you can jump to just in case. I didn't do anything super detailed but it's just as an in-case.

The lobby was quiet as I shoveled down my continental breakfast and brooded over the clues I had so far. This Death Gun fanatic was aiming his pistol at television screens and then pulling the trigger. The person he’d shot at on the screen would fall over dead. As a worker from the Ministry of Defense, I’d seen the bodies myself—those people were, in fact, all actually dead, and the death had been caused by a bullet wound.

“We need to interview the witnesses to the deaths,” I said, my mouth half-full of croissant. “Someone had to be in the room to deliver the gunshot that killed them. No one just dies on the spot after they’re shot on TV.”

Sinon gave me an irritated look as she spooned oatmeal into her mouth. This likely wasn’t the best location for a discussion about our mission, but I didn’t see her as rushing through breakfast like I was. She took a long gulp of her orange juice before she finally responded to me, probably realizing I wasn’t going to just put this on hold.

“I’m sure you’re right about that,” she said. “But have you considered that this is all staged? In order for the trick to work, there have to be people on the inside to make it convincing.”

I nodded.

“Yeah, but how much of it’s staged?” I asked. “I’ve seen the corpses, Sinon. People are actually dying.”

She shifted in her seat and glanced around the room, letting me know to tone it down a notch in public. I groaned, realizing I was turning into my boss, Kikuoka, without even realizing it. At least I didn’t talk about the world’s smelliest cuisine over fine dining yet. I put up my hands in defeat and picked up my tray to go and dispose of my mess. I slipped back over to the coffee maker and started fixing myself a cup when someone came over and leaned on the counter.

“Hey, baby, what’s got you staying in a rough city like this?”

I gritted my teeth for a moment, and then I whipped the gun off of my left hip to point it up in the guy’s face. I froze when I recognized that mug along with its signature ugly bandanna. I lowered the gun and made a face of discontent. I’d know this scruffy redhead anywhere.

“God, Klein, that’s not funny,” I grumbled.

He cocked his head at me funny.

“Have we met?” he asked.

It then occurred to me that I hadn’t seen this man in ages. I wasn’t wearing my signature black work outfit, but rather was in some fairly normal clothes—a pair of sneakers, a comfortable skirt, and a cotton t-shirt. I slipped the gun back down in its holster and wondered how much I’d need to spell out to him.

“Asuna’s going to laugh her ass off when I tell her you didn’t recognize me,” I said, sighing. “She almost didn’t either, though, and she was my girlfriend.”

His eyes went wide.

“KIRI—?!”

I cleared my throat.

“It’s Kiriko, now,” I said, stopping him before he let my old codename slip out. “And I’d be grateful if you didn’t hit on me again, Klein.”

His mouth flapped open and closed several times as he tried his best to form a response. I turned back to my coffee and put a lid on it, content that I’d fixed it properly before Klein had had the hare-brained idea to come and flirt with me. I picked it up and turned back around to go back to the table with Sinon. To my dismay, Klein followed me, apparently now on his own agenda.

“Wait, wait, I’ve been looking all over for you!” he exclaimed. “I need your help with something man…I…er…woman?”

I gave him a sideways look.

“That was a really bad save,” I told him.

He practically wilted on the spot.

“Look, you can’t just expect me to adjust to you being a woman that fast,” he grumbled.

I gave him an icy look.

“And yet, you had no issue hitting on me before you realized what was between my legs,” I said, smirking at him. “We’ll work on your reaction to trans people later, though. I’m actually on a mission right now. Is your need urgent?”

Klein was giving me a very impatient glare.

“It’s about your sister,” he said. “Does that count as urgent?”

I swallowed.

“Suguha?” I said. “What…what happened to Suguha?”

Klein sighed and glanced around the room.

“Can we talk somewhere that’s not out in the open?” he said. “If you’re comfortable with it, maybe your room? I’m not sure you want people just hearing this.”

I nodded.

“Let me round up my partner and we’ll show you up to the room,” I said.

He waited while I went back to the table and gave Sinon the rundown. She understood the situation and told me to head up without her. She’d finish up her breakfast and join us, but she figured that she didn’t need to hear information about my family. I thanked her and hurried up to the room to hear Klein out.

“Your partner’s kind of cute,” he noted.

I waved a hand at him.

“She’s taken,” I said. “And stop hitting on girls too young for you. Go find another forty-something to flirt with.”

Klein almost choked.

“Oi! I’m not forty!” he whined.

I sat down on the bed and crossed my arms over my chest.

“So, what’s so confidential about Sugu that we need to be in here to discuss it?” I asked.

He sat down a USB on the nightstand and pushed it over to me.

“The information’s on there in better details, but have you heard of that Death Gun lunatic running around?” he asked.

I nodded.

“He’s actually my target for this mission,” I said. “Is he going after Sugu?”

Klein let out a dry laugh.

“The other way around,” he said. “Leafa’s lost her mind if she thinks she’s going to hunt and kill a serial killer. She and her partner Recon decided to target Death Gun because the maniac released a list of targets on his hitlist. That list is on that USB, if you don’t already have it.”

I shook my head.

“I wasn’t aware he’d released anything like that,” I said. “Why do you think he’d do that?”

Klein leaned against the wall and sighed.

“Rumor had it that he ran into you the other day,” he said. “So, now that you’re aware of him and he’s aware of you, he’s put two and two together. He’s taking out strong people—you’re the only person that can stop bullets with a photon sword.”

I stood up off of the bed and clenched my hands into fists.

“He’s targeting…me?” I said.

Klein nodded.

“Unless you know of any other sword-wielding idiots who used to use the name you don’t want me to repeat,” he said. “The picture on the hitlist is an old one, but if he realized that was still you, then you’re in trouble. He probably knows that you and your partner here are onto him, so he’s released the list as a scare tactic. As government workers, you will want to prioritize saving lives to taking his. He knows that.”

Sitting back down on the bed, it didn’t make any sense. Death Gun wouldn’t have had access to the information that I was the same person—I made sure that it wasn’t recorded anywhere that I was associated with my deadname. He would have had to have had really good eyesight to get a glimpse of me when he’d taken a shot during our encounter. No, he would have to know me or have spoken to me and learned that I was the same person.

“That’s it…that’s that suspicious look…”

Klein hummed and raised an eyebrow at me.

“Last night, Sinon and I met with her boyfriend, Kyouji,” I said. “He had this funny look on his face after he realized that I was someone he’d known back in high school. He looked like he was hiding something. If Death Gun released information last night that he was targeting me and was supposedly using it because he’d known ‘Kiriko’ was the person he was looking for…”

The door opened behind him. I glanced over at Sinon as she came to stand beside Klein. He was looking between us, oblivious to the connection I was making in my head. I walked over to Sinon and grasped her by the arms.

“I hate to do this to you,” I said.

She gave me a funny look.

“What?” she said.

I swallowed.

“I think your boyfriend is Death Gun.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: CW for a bit of "cis person choosing words poorly" and for Klein hitting on people way younger than him.


	5. Bug

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Sorry for the long break, that October Prompt Challenge took a lot of energy haha! Here's a chapter for you, though! :)

There had to be a way to get rid of the angry look on Sinon’s face. I mean, sure: I was the person accusing her boyfriend of being Death Gun. I had my reasons, and I had connected the dots as best as I could. It wasn’t a definite “I am one-hundred percent certain” sort of accusation, but even the mere suggestion was enough to have her glaring daggers at me. I did my best to summarize my theory. Death Gun targeted strong people. He always aimed his gun at televisions or display screens. Kyouji made the connection between me and my deadname at the bar. The next day, Death Gun has announced me as a target. Unless Death Gun only waited to release the information, it was admittedly pretty fishy.

Sinon, of course, was not having any of my theory. She told me that she’d overlook the accusation only if I brought her back a dessert from my date with Asuna. I sighed, thanked Klein for the intel, and begrudgingly agreed to pay for an extra dessert for Sinon. She was fairly silent as we went out in the field to investigate as well.

Today’s investigation felt just as unproductive as the last few. We’d sit up somewhere just out of visual range and scout out a suspicious group that we thought might be affiliated with Death Gun. This group struck me as familiar. I held up some binoculars and looked at the encampment. The squadron was made up of rather burly Russian women. I opened my mouth to ask Sinon where I’d heard of them before, but then another detail struck my attention. Three familiar faces appeared from out of a tent.

“Asuna…” I mumbled.

For the first time since she’d heard my theory this morning, Sinon responded to me.

“What is your ex doing talking to the leader of SHINC?” she muttered.

I shrugged and glanced over her and her two partners. They were the same girls I’d seen her with the other day, the infamous duo Pitohui and Llen. Seeing her here made me wonder if she might know anything about our case. I didn’t want to associate Asuna with the Death Gun case about as much as Sinon did Kyouji, but the two associations were spinning around dizzily in my mind, begging me to entertain them.

“Beats me,” I finally said. “Are we considering SHINC to be targets or suspects?”

Sinon flashed me a slight warning look, but then she trained her eyes back on the scene.

“Suspects,” she said. “Death Gun only is taking out individuals who are powerful on their own. This group is suspicious because they’ve been avoiding coming into the city limits of SBC Glocken—as far as we know, that is.”

I hummed and tapped my boots’ heels together. That indeed sounded a bit fishy, but I could think of other reasons as to why someone would avoid coming within the city limits. It was just a shot in the dark to assume any one of these girls (or perhaps a few of them) were the heinous murderer. Perhaps I was just too deadest on my theory to give a thought to any other options at the moment.

Sinon slipped a device over her ears and set down a little box in front of us. The device was supposed to be used to amplify sounds that were far away. It was the perfect eavesdropping tool. She closed her eyes and tuned a dial on the box until she seemed satisfied. Her eyes flitted open again as she started to listen. I leaned in closer to her.

“What’s going on?” I mouthed, not wanting to interfere with her audio.

She gave me another sharp look.

“It sounds like Asuna’s group is looking for a target,” she mumbled. “She’s working with Pitohui and the other one to locate a man whose codename I can’t make out from here. Her interests are different than the other two’s…it seems she wants to apprehend the man to take in for questioning, while the other two seem to be hinting at malicious intent.”

I swallowed.

“Should we change our suspect in this case?” I asked. “If Pitohui and Llen are looking to harm or off someone, wouldn’t that make them more likely to be Death Gun than someone in the butch Russian squad?”

Sinon frowned at me.

“The butch what now?” she mumbled.

I sighed.

“SHINC,” I said. “Should we be watching Pitohui and Llen instead of them?”

She seemed to consider this for a moment. It was unfortunately a better lead than presuming SHINC was Death Gun based off of their avoidance of the city limits. We would need to start finding ways to eliminate some of our guesses. When we got back to the hotel, I started to make a chart for it. I wrote down any and all speculations we’d had in the past few weeks working on this case.

“So,” I said. “We’ve done some asking around and our own investigations. So far, we have these suspects on our mind. Nothing is definitive, so please don’t give me any weird looks.”

I pointed to the paper and dragged my finger down the list as I read them aloud.

“Our first suspect was Behemoth, since he’d gone dark and wasn’t showing much around these parts,” I said. “After that, we looked into Dyne’s squadron because they’d been close to the studio the night XeXeeD was killed. We also considered someone political, like Heathcliff, who was trying to assume a tighter grip on SBC Glocken. As he’s Asuna’s boss, that makes her just as likely of a target. Kyouji exhibited suspicious behavior at the bar, and Pitohui and Llen are with Asuna looking for a man they’re clearly out to eliminate. SHINC made the list for avoiding SBC Glocken’s city limits to public knowledge.”

Sinon sighed and stared down at the list.

“You’re right, we need to narrow this down,” she said. “I say we remove Pitohui and her partner from the list.”

I cocked my head.

“Why’s that?” I asked.

She crossed her arms.

“Because Pitohui’s a basket case,” she said, trying to be discrete. “She’s not very calculated even when she does start killing off people. Her killing pattern is always too random for her to be Death Gun, think about it.”

I hummed, nodded, and then marked through Pitohui and Llen’s names on the list. When I looked back up, Sinon was eyeballing the clock on the wall.

“Say, isn’t it close to time for you to head out to your date?” she said.

I nearly choked as I recalled my date. I started pulling off pieces of armor and tossing them on the floor. Sinon rolled her eyes.

“You’re an absolute mess, Kiriko,” she said. “If you hurry up and get dressed quickly, I’ll help you do your hair up.”

I gave her a goofy grin and stumbled into the bathroom as I yanked my boots off. It was the quickest change that I could possibly manage. I had to strip off too many belts and pieces of clothing. I then had to master getting on a bra with a clasp, which I’d been avoiding because sports bras were considerably easier, and it wasn’t like I was very well-endowed in that department. When the bra was properly on, I smiled at myself in the mirror, nodded my head, and then stepped into the dress. I stepped out of the bathroom and gave Sinon a thumbs up.

“How’s my time?” I said.

She rolled her eyes.

“Alright, smartass,” she said. “Come over here and sit down.”

I stepped over to the chair gingerly. I had to admit that I liked the way the dress flowed around my legs. It felt a bit airy and light. Sitting down made that pleasant feeling disappear a bit. I wanted to stand back up and twirl the dress around some, but I sat patiently as Sinon pulled a brush through my hair.

“Has your hair always been long?” she asked.

Laughing, I shook my hair.

“Before I came out, my hair was on the shorter side,” I said. “Asuna used to trim it when it got longish. But I suppose she won’t be so quick to do that now.”

Sinon shook her head.

“You’re a mess, you know that?” she said. “And can I ask you an uncomfortable favor while you’re with her tonight?”

I frowned.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

She sighed.

“I think Heathcliff might be one of our best suspects on the list,” she said. “If I agree to look into Kyouji’s behavior, could I ask you to watch him through Asuna?”

She held up a small microphone in one hand. My eyes widened.

“I don’t care how you do it,” she said. “But I need you to get this into her bedroom or hotel room, wherever she’s staying right now.”

Sinon reached down and placed the device in my hands.

“How the hell am I supposed to get into her hotel room?” I asked.

Sinon raised an eyebrow and placed her hand on my shoulders.

“Pray for a lucky date,” she said.


	6. The Bridge Called Time Between Us

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Woo! Date night for the girls! I really enjoyed writing this chapter because I love them so much T-T anyone else got a Kirisuna is lesbians fic they wanna rec me...? ahahaha.

It was often hard, people claimed, to find a decent, elegant place to eat in SBC Glocken. That simply wasn’t true, though, as many natives could tell you in a heartbeat. The city may have been full of gunslingers and dangerous people of all colors, but it was a city just like any other one. Its night life had the full range of selections, from arcades and movie theaters for teens, to fine dining and orderly dance halls, to clubs, bars, and other publicly inappropriate night life locations. As someone who’d worked here for a considerable time, I knew the finer places from the dirtier ones, and I’d selected a fairly tasteful restaurant close to the main government building. It was this restaurant I’d asked Asuna to meet me at for dinner.

Originally, I’d been very excited to go on this little date. As informal as it was, this was my chance to try again with Asuna. I’d never stopped loving her. My dysphoria disrupted our relationship before I even knew what to call it, and Asuna left, telling me that she loved me and wanted me to find a way to help myself. In the space between, I’d questioned my gender, come to terms with it, and taken action to transition into the person I am today—both emotionally and physically. I wanted to show this happier, healthier side of myself. If she still loved me in the way that I still loved her, there was still hope for our relationship.

But the prospects of getting this date right weren’t the reason why I felt so nervous. It was Sinon’s request, which both risked the trust I wanted to instill in Asuna again as well as made me personally uncomfortable. Asuna wouldn’t work for someone who was a murderer. I knew that in my heart, but without any evidence, Sinon wouldn’t just take my word and roll with it. She needed proof, just like she did with my accusations of Kyouji. I tried to remind myself that the job was important as I saw Asuna turn the corner to meet me in front of the restaurant. My nerves momentarily vanished when I laid eyes on her.

Asuna wore a short red and white dress, one that hugged her figure enough to make her waist and hips rather obvious. Her hair was pulled up into a bun that looked intentionally messy, and a few strands were loose at the base of her skull beneath it. A red flower hairclip sat to the right of the bun—her right, not mine. She’d applied a bit of makeup, something I felt somewhat jealous of. I’d have to ask Sinon later for some cosmetic tips. Asuna’s cheeks were tastefully rosy, her lips were touched up with a bit of peach, and her ears were adorned with golden hoops. Lastly, to complete the outfit, a pair of red, open-toed heels revealed matching nail polish.

She stopped a few paces in front of me and looked me up and down. For a terrifying moment, I wondered if she was in the process of judging my new look, but I relaxed when she smiled at me, her cheeks turning a little redder than the makeup had made them. I relaxed my grip on the clutch in my hands and smiled at her.

“Good evening, Asuna,” I said. “You look really nice.”

She nodded at me.

“And you look really cute, too, Kiriko,” she said.

Asuna looked up at the restaurant sign above our heads. She looked back at me and offered her hand. Did she feel no nerves at all? She truly was the strongest woman I knew—no offense to Sinon. I slipped my hand into Asuna’s and felt butterflies fill my stomach. It had been so long since I’d last felt the warmth of her hand in mine. I thought I might melt instantly, satisfied with something as small as that bridging the awkward and possibly painful bridge between the two of us. Many things may have changed, but Asuna remained Asuna.

We walked into the restaurant and were escorted to our table. The ambience was one of fine dining, with sparkling glassware and too many forks. It fit with Asuna’s style, though. She was a woman who embodied a mixture of supreme elegance and wild freedom. I, however, was completely out of my element, but at least the dress I’d purchased made me blend in as if I belonged in such a posh place. We quickly ordered our meals, and as soon as the waiter left, Asuna took the initiative to start talking.

“You really do look a lot happier,” she said. “I can see it in your eyes. It’s nice to know that you’ve worked things out and found a place where you can be happy.”

I nodded, unsure of how to follow that up.

“And I see you’re as popular as ever,” I said. “What sort of things are you up to with Pitohui and Llen?”

Asuna laughed. It sounded like music to my ears. I smiled at her as a warm feeling filled my chest. She went on to tell me about her most recent assignment to work with the two rogue gunslingers, gain their trust, and investigate their true intentions. It was true that the pair caused quite a bit of a ruckus around SBC Glocken, but they hardly seemed like the type to have an ulterior motive. She seemed to be of the same mind about them for now, but her assignment was to last for the entire month. She would wait until the end before making the call.

We ended up switching the conversation to what we’d missed in between our last time together. She’d moved into a rather upscale condo and was sharing the space with no one, a huge change from her previous living arrangement with our friend Rika. The split had happened because Rika went on to open an even bigger shop downtown and was living above it for an easier “commute” to work. Asuna had fortunately been offered a raise, so with the extra funds, she found herself a nice place and lived alone.

I barely registered dinner itself. I was so encompassed in Asuna’s conversation and how good it felt to speak with her like this again that I forgot to savor my dish. By the time the waiter was asking for dessert, I’d realized I’d cleaned my plate and had nothing left to remind me of the flavors. It was no matter, though. I almost ordered a dessert on impulse when Asuna interjected and said that we were both through. After the waiter left with the check, she turned and smiled at me.

“If you don’t mind,” she said, “I’ve prepared something at home for you to try.”

My heart started to skip in my chest. Was this what Sinon had meant by hoping for a lucky date? I eagerly nodded my head in agreement as Asuna started to laugh. I suppose some things really did never change. We left the restaurant the same way we’d entered it, hand in hand. I wondered if Asuna was feeling the same amount of joy that I felt right now. I’d longed for her touch for years; just holding her hand like this was enough for me. Yet she was opening her heart even further and trying to reestablish a norm. As we walked, we talked about more menial things, such as what it was like to work with our current team members and such. Her condo was about a ten-minute walk from the restaurant, and we slipped into an elevator still holding hands.

It was then that my heart started to push me for something more. I wanted to do more than hold hands, if I could. I wanted the bridge to be completely burned, restoring things to the way they’d been before my dysphoria had ruined everything. My grip tightened just a bit on her hand. She glanced over at me. I had to keep my cool. Just because she was taking large steps didn’t mean I had to rush into things. Reading her was the best course of action. The doors opened, and she led me down the hall towards her door. She apologized and told me that it was a loft, to which I told her wasn’t that big of a deal. We climbed the stairs and finally came out on the top floor, overlooking the city with quite the impressive view. I stared down at the busy streets below and had to take a step back.

“Does the height bother you?” she asked.

I quickly shook my head and followed her towards the kitchen area.

“I’ll be just a minute,” she said. “If you don’t mind.”

I shook my head.

“Take your time,” I said.

Asuna disappeared into her bedroom, taking a turn away from the kitchen. I glanced around and wandered into the living area. This was my opening if I had to guess. There was no guarantee that I’d get another opportunity out of her line of eyesight. I pulled the microphone out of my purse, glanced around, and quickly slipped it into a flower pot that was fairly central. I hurried back over to hover near the kitchen entrance, hoping that I didn’t look guilty at all. When Asuna returned, she didn’t seem to suspect me of anything, but she’d let her hair down and put away her purse. She waved me into the kitchen, where there was a little table set up in a dinette, already set for two to enjoy a dessert.

“Dessert wine?” she asked.

I blinked for a moment, and then I nodded.

“S-sure,” I stammered. “Were you…were you expecting me to say yes?”

Asuna just smiled at me innocently. I suppose this was different than a first-time meeting with a new date. We already knew one another. As she poured two glasses of plum wine, she waved for me to come and sit down at the table. She pulled out a chair for me and I slipped into it, thanking her and hoping that the heat in my cheeks wasn’t a visible blush. She set down a perfect-looking piece of chocolate cake in front of me.

“I made a Sachertorte,” she said. “I thought our little date would be the perfect time to offer you a piece, knowing you’ve always given the best reviews of my cooking and baking skills.”

I chuckled and nodded.

“Ah, I see,” I said. “You were looking for a taste tester.”

She just giggled and waved her hand over at me.

“Well, go on,” she said. “Tell me how it tastes!”

I picked up the spoon and cut off a decent-sized bite of the cake. I scooped it up and slipped it into my mouth, closing my eyes to create the perfect taste-testing mood. The chocolate flavor was so rich that it practically melted onto my tongue. The taste of apricot was vibrant and yet subtle. The fresh cream topping it was light and a smooth texture. I hummed with pleasure. Asuna’s baking truly was unmatched. Asuna giggled again.

“I’ll take that as a ‘yes, it’s perfect,’” she said.

I nodded.

“It’s heavenly,” I said.

I opened my eyes and saw her laughing at me. She was so beautiful.

“Just like you,” I said.

Her laughing stopped, and she looked across the table at me, her cheeks starting to flush red. I felt my own embarrassment start to creep up. I slipped another bite of the cake into my mouth, trying to avoid being awkward for a moment. Asuna, too, took a bite. My nerves were returning. I’d just screwed up by complimenting her too much out of the blue. We finished up our cake and I swallowed down the wine. I was ready to excuse myself and apologize for making things too awkward when Asuna stood up, walked over to me, and leaned over to plant a kiss on my lips. My body immediately went into emotional shock and refused to move the way I wanted it to. My hand slipped upwards and cupped her cheek, pulling her in for a deeper kiss. Asuna pulled back and stroked my cheek with her fingers.

“I-I’m sorry,” she stammered. “I just…I missed you.”

I hummed and nodded.

“I missed you, too, Asuna,” I said.

I gently pulled her back over to me for another kiss. She slipped into my chair, straddling my waist with her legs. I wrapped my arms around her, making sure she didn’t fall over in my arms. She wrapped hers around me and grasped my clothing. For a brief moment, it felt like no time had passed between us at all. There was nothing in the world but the two of us.

Save for one microphone, which I hoped she wouldn’t find.


End file.
